Russia ready to sign agreement to integrate South Ossetia military units into Russian armed forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted a government proposal and instructed to sign an agreement on integrating South Ossetian military units into the Russian armed forces. A corresponding instruction was posted on the government’s legal information web portal.

South Ossetian soldiers at military parade in Tskhinvali (September 2008)

Putin also instructed the Russian defense ministry to hold negotiations with the South Ossetian counterparts and sign the agreement on Moscow’s behalf.

Under the agreement, the integration of military units into the Russian armed forces implies contracting South Ossetian citizens for military service in the Russian armed forces and sending them to the Russian military base in a voluntary procedure for active duty.

Upon concluding such a contract, a citizen must be discharged from military service in the South Ossetian armed forces and his further active duty will be regulated by the Russian legislation.

The agreement on integrating units of the South Ossetian defense ministry into the Russian armed forces is an additional document under the Treaty on Allied Relations and Integration signed by the presidents of both countries on March 18, 2015.